For Hire – Roy Oswalt

Photo: Pool/Getty Images

Unless something arises, Roy Oswalt has decided to wait on signing with a team, and plans to stay in shape and offer his pitching services to a team midseason. Ala Roger Clemens, and Pedro in 2009, Roy would be willing to come to a team (likely a contender only) and pitch in the stretch run.

Oswalt was interested in coming back to Philadelphia, but the Phillies wanted to go in a different direction.

It was rumored that Oswalt only wanted to pitch for a contender, and that he was looking for something in the $8-10MM range.  There were also reports that Oswalt was very particular about where he would and wouldn’t pitch, which may be part of the reason that he’s in the spot where he is… Although I think that’s kind of what he wanted. But let’s be honest, Roy has a few health concerns and I don’t blame teams for thinking that his asking price is a little steep.  Not to mention that the final few months of 2011 were not very good for Oswalt.

To be honest I think this is the best thing for Roy.  It’s pretty obvious that he’s had his share of health issues, and the grind of a full season may not be the best thing for him.  I also think that last season showed that he may not be entirely committed to baseball anymore.  It seems to me that Oswalt wants to spend more time with his family, which is understandable, and that a full season of baseball does not leave much time for that.  He came across as fairly tormented throughout last season, and hinted that he had been considering retirement, so I don’t really know.

Do I think that Oswalt is a fit in Philadelphia?  No, not really.  Say one of our pitchers went down… I think it’s safe to say Ruben has his number.

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A Fan’s Letter to Jimmy Rollins…

Dear Jimmy,

First let me open up by saying that I am extremely grateful for the efforts that you have made in the past to the team that I love, and in the commumity that I live in.  Your charitable efforts have blessed so many children in the community.  From your efforts with Prevent Child Abuse Pennsylvania, to your involvement in the RBI program.  You have helped so many children in our area and we are forever in your debt.  Thank you.

So let’s get to the reason that I’m writing this letter to you.  Sure, I’m a sports writer, but I’m also a Phillies fan.  I follow you on Twitter, and I’m sure you’re pleased to know we’re friends on Facebook.  I’ve worn your #11 jersey on my back, and I have your bobblehead on my writing desk. You’re my Shortstop.  You’re our Shortstop, and I’d like to keep it that way.

Read the rest here…

 

Be sure to keep up to date with the Phillies this off-season, and follow me on Twitter.

 

NLDS Game 1 Lineups

Here are the lineups for Game 1 of the National League division series.

Your Philadelphia Phillies

1. Jimmy Rollins 6
2. Chase Utley 4
3. Hunter Pence 9
4. Ryan Howard 3
5. Shane Victorino 8
6. Raul Ibanez 7
7. Placido Polanco 5
8. Carlos Ruiz 2
9. Roy Halladay 1

The St. Louis Cardinals

1. Rafael Furcal 6
2. Allen Craig 9
3. Albert Pujols 3
4. Lance Berkman 7
5. David Freese 5
6. Yadier Molina 2
7. Skip Schumaker 4
8. John Jay 8
9. Kyle Lohse 1

* Notice Matt Holliday is out for the Cardinals.

Step One: Complete

The first step of the Phillies run in 2011 is over.  After last night’s win that sealed the Phillies 5th consecutive N.L. East crown, the team handled their celebration the way that the they have handled their business on the field.

There were a few antics, but for the most part it was pretty subdued. The newbies soaked it in (literally) and the veterans made it clear that this is not the time to celebrate.

‎”The true test starts in October'” said Ryan Howard.  “We won’t do the real celebration until we can reach our team goal. This is just step one.”

“I expected to win the division,” Cliff Lee said following the celebration on the field. “I expect us to win the World Series. But nothing is going to be handed to us. We’ve got to go out there and play the way we’ve played all year and play fundamental baseball. If we continue to do that, good things will happen.”

Lee as we all know has been very close to a ring the last two seasons, so you can understand his candor.

But still, they had some fun.

“They were waiting for me and they blew me up,” Hunter Pence said after a full on champagne assault from his teammates.  “I’ve waited a long time to be a part of one of these.  I dreamed of it. It’s what you play the game for. When you work out during the offseason, this is the reason why,” Pence said. “You’re thinking about getting to the playoffs and taking the next step and then another and winning the World Series. It’s definitely worth all the effort and all the sacrifice.”

Don’t expect the Phillies to take it easy tonight.  Cole Hamels has every intention of going deep into the game tonight and winning, and the rest of the Phillies starters have the same plan going into these last 12 games.

For the Phillies to be successful in the playoffs the starters are going to need to go deep into the games to avoid the holes in the bullpen, and the offense is going to have to come together.  There have been plenty of hero in the past few weeks, but a team effort is what its going to propel them to glory.

The starters will all continue to work and keep their pitch counts up.  Roy Halladay has said on more than one occasion that he plans to keep pushing for 120 pitches until the end.   I suspect that Vance Worley is going to get worked into the bullpen at some point.  He will be a great option of the Phillies out of the pen, but he needs to become acclimated to his temporary role.  I think that Roy Oswalt’s performance on Saturday night ended all argument that he should be the Phillies 4th starter.

The regulars, especially the bruised ones (Howard, Utley, Rollins, and Polanco) will get their work in sparingly, and then probably play out the last few games to stay in sync.   I’m very OK with this.

I’m curious what the Phillies will do with their bench.  John Bowker will get a few more looks, but I can’t see a guy without a hit as a Phillie making the postseason roster.  I think I would take Dom Brown over that any day of the week.

 

We have a few days, er… Two weeks really to stew this all over.  Hope you’re all soaking it in.

 

Oswalt Update

The Phillies have a scheduled MRI for Roy Oswalt on Monday, but even before seeing the results it’s pretty safe to say that it doesn’t look good.

Roy won’t make next start, and he’s not sure when he will be able to pitch again. He said he is a liability, that it hurts walking, pitching, and sleeping. Could it be too early to say he needs to go on the disabled list?

No, not at all.

Oswalt sounded like a beaten man in his post game interview, and I’m starting to wonder if he is ever going to return.

Besides the injury to Roy Oswalt the Phillies also have to deal with the injury of Jose Contreras who was placed on the disabled list today, and expect him to be out from 4-6 weeks. All this is putting a major hurt on the rest of the Phillies pen who will likely lose Kyle Kendrick to the starting rotation while he fills in for Roy Oswalt. It’s a lot of pressure for the younger pitchers who have been taking on a pretty serious amount of work for a bunch of guys who spent most or all of their time in the minor leagues last season.

Waiting Game For Oswalt

Reports are right now that Roy Oswalt left after the second inning with back spasems, and lower back stiffness.  He was favoring his back during the second inning, and didn’t appear to be very comfortable.

I’m hoping it’s just that simple.

Oswalt has a history of back trouble. In the past, Oswalt has spent time on the DL for lower back strains. In 2006 and 2008, Oswalt spent time on the DL due to hip and back problems, and he missed two starts in 2009 because of a lower back strain, which resulted in him being placed on the DL on September 16 of that year, causing him to miss the rest of the season.

This season Oswalt was on the disabled list from April 27-May 16 with lower back inflammation.  Oswalt was coming off a loss in his last start against Seattle on June 17 and entered the game with a 4-5 record and 3.38 ERA.

The Phillies are really going to need Oswalt to get healthy if they plan to make a run at a title since they already have one starter in Joe Blanton on the disabled list.

We’ll see what develops in the next few days.

Cliff Lee Just Rocks

Cliff Lee is really on a roll.

Lee is 4-0 in June. He’s only given up one run in that span.

Wednesday marked his fourth straight win, and his second straight complete game shutout. It also was his first road win since April 14th in D.C. Also a shutout.

What’s working for Lee? His curveball.

On a night where he didn’t have his most dominate stuff Lee got help from ground balls, and good defense. Lee only managed three strikeouts, but he was still more then effective. His command is there, and he knows that he doesn’t have to strike everyone out when his infielders are so good. Working in his curveball has really made a big difference in Cliff’s last four outings. The more pitches he can control the better.

“I can’t control where they hit it, but I can control where I throw it and try to induce more ground balls,” Lee said. “You want to get as many ground balls as possible.”

The bullpen got another night off thanks to Lee, and they needed it. It sounds like Jose Contreras might be headed back to the disabled list with elbow soreness.

“There’s total gratification in going nine innings,” Lee said. “It’s kind of hard to throw nine innings, but every time I want to throw the whole game, there’s no doubt about it.”

Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels will most likely be named to the 2011 All-Star Game, and now Cliff may just get to join them.

A St. Louie Meltdown

Say what you will about Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa, but he totally over manages that team.

I don’t want to go crazy with this post, but he was a huge part in his team’s meltdown last night.  This guy has two World Series rings, but should have like five.  For the life of me I can’t understand why the Cardinals want to hold onto a guy that has the lineup and pitchers that he has, but can’t get his team into the playoffs.

The Phillies showed tons of patience last night, and it payed off.  We got our hits when we could.  Took the walks they gave us, and got hit by the really bad pitches, too.

Seriously, Tony. How do you still have a job?

Cards Not Interested in J.C.

It was originally reported that the St. Louis Cardinals might have some interest in J.C. Romero now that he has been designated for assignment by the Phillies, but today Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said that they did not.

Mozeliak told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that he has not had conversations with the Phillies about recently-designated lefty J.C. Romero and doesn’t consider Romero an upgrade.

The Cards bullpen, which ranks 12th in the National League, has an ERA almost at 4.0 and is packed with righties. Romero is a left handed pitcher but has been ineffective to say the least, and doesn’t seem to have anything to offer the Cards. So they say.

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Breaking Down the National League

Starting Tuesday, and over the next week I’m going to go through the N.L. East starting at the bottom and work my way up to my predicted winner of the Division.  You can’t ever say that anything in this game is a lock, but the National League East is probably the easiest of the three in the N.L. to project.  The Central and West are going to be a little more competitive, especially the Central which is going to have a pretty interesting three horse race. 

If I had to call it today this is where I’d go with the National League Central.

1. Cincinnati Reds
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Houston Astros
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

Much like the Phillies of 2006-07 the Reds are a team on the rise.  They have some home brewed talent and good pitching.  I’m probably going out on a limb, but I think that Aroldis Chapman might just be the Rookie of the Year in the National League. With Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips, I think it’s likely that they will retain their Division Crown.

I don’t know how the Cardinals haven’t gone further in the last few years.  Since 2006 they have made the playoffs twice, with a World Series Championship in 2006.  They look pretty similar to last years team with the only notable addition being Lance Berkman who will probably be playing right field.  That should be interesting since Busch Stadium has a pretty large outfield, and Berkman is really a first baseman, What their GM was thinking this off-season, I don’t know.  Albert will cost them a lot if they re-sign him, but not doing anything this winter will cost them more. I think they’ll probably take the Wild Card. 

The Brewers made some impressive moves this winter trading for Zack Greinke, and Shaun Marcum, but with a new manager and system I think it might be another year before this team produces a playoff berth again.

The Houston Astros also did squat this off-season. They have a lot of talent on the farm that needs to grow up, because this team is getting old.  I smell a Carlos Lee/ Hunter Pence fire sale at the trade deadline. If not I’d expect to see Lee move to first base.  The Astros have not made the playoffs in years, so they need to do something too keep their fans interested because it’s getting pretty dull in Houston.

The best thing to see this year at Wrigley Field is once again, Wrigley Field.  Sure they got Matt Garza, and Zambrano is taking his meds, but this team has a new manager, and their outfield is old.  Carlos Pena should add a little pop, and Starlin Castro is great player in the making but once again Cubs fans, this isn’t your year.

PNC Park is one of the nicest Stadiums that I have visited in the Major Leagues, it’s such a shame that the Pirate‘s ownership doesn’t take the same pride in their team.  They’ve brought in Lyle Overbay as a free agent, and Clint Hurdle is their new manager, so hopefully they can make an impression on this otherwise young team.

Tomorrow I’ll look at the N.L. West. 

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